5/9: Cuomo Keeping Campaign Promises … Approval Rating Grows

With four months in office under his belt, New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo is receiving high marks from the New York State electorate. Nearly two thirds of registered voters — 64% — say he is fulfilling the promises he made on the campaign trail. The governor also enjoys an increase in his job approval rating which now stands at 54% and a high favorability rating.

Many voters believe Governor Cuomo is fulfilling his campaign promises. 64% think this to be the case while 23% say he is not keeping his word. 13% are unsure. This is a 10 percentage point increase from when NY1/YNN-Marist last asked this question in January. At that time, 54% said Cuomo was making good on his promises, and 20% reported he was not. 26%, at the time, were unsure.

“Governor Cuomo is off to a strong start,” says Dr. Lee M. Miringoff, Director of The Marist College Institute for Public Opinion. ”He’s sticking to the political adage, ‘Say you are going to do it, do it, and say you’ve done it.’”

There has been an increase in the proportions of both Democrats and Republicans who think Cuomo is making good on his word. 67% of Democratic voters and 72% of Republican voters have this view while 57% and 52%, respectively, thought this way in January. There has been little change among non-enrolled voters on this question. A majority of these voters — 55% — believe Cuomo is fulfilling his campaign promises while the same proportion — 55% — shared this view earlier this year.

While there has been little change among New York City voters on this question, the proportion of upstate voters — 70% — and those in the suburbs of New York City — 64% — have grown. In January, 54% of those upstate and 51% of those in the city’s suburbs held this opinion. In New York City, 55% think Cuomo has been true to his word while 56% thought this way in January.

On the specifics of Cuomo’s image, other key highlights include:

72% of voters report Mr. Cuomo is a good leader for New York State. 16% think he is not, and 12% are unsure. Similar proportions shared these views in January.

More than six in ten voters — 63% — think the governor represents all regions of New York State while 28% do not. Nine percent are unsure. There has been relatively little change on this question from NY1/YNN-Marist’s January survey.

More than six in ten registered voters — 62% — believe Governor Cuomo is changing the way things work in Albany for the better. 27% disagree, and 11% are unsure. In January, those proportions stood at 58%, 23%, and 19%, respectively.

Governor Cuomo is perceived as a political moderate by a majority — 52% — of the New York State electorate. Nearly one in five voters — 19% — view him as a liberal while 17% think he is a conservative. 12% are unsure.

While a majority of New York State voters still perceive Cuomo to be a moderate, fewer view him to be a liberal, and slightly more voters think he is a conservative. In January, 55% described the governor as a moderate, 26% said he was a liberal, and 12% said Cuomo was a conservative. Eight percent, at the time, were unsure.

When it comes to Governor Andrew Cuomo’s approval rating, 54% of registered voters statewide report Cuomo is doing either an excellent or good job in office. This includes 10% who believe he is doing an excellent job and 44% who think he is doing a good one. He receives a fair rating from 31% of voters while just 6% say he is performing poorly. Nine percent are unsure how to rate him.

There has been a six percentage point increase in Mr. Cuomo’s approval rating. In January, 48% gave him high marks. 28% said he was doing a fair job, and only 5% thought he missed the mark. At that time, a notable 19% were unsure how to rate him.

Governor Andrew Cuomo’s approval rating has surpassed that of his father, former New York State Governor Mario Cuomo, during his first months in office. When Marist reported Mario Cuomo’s approval rating in June of 1983, half of the statewide electorate — 50% — gave him a thumbs-up.

Governor Andrew Cuomo has gained favor with Republicans. More than six in ten Republican voters — 62% — statewide approve of the job Mr. Cuomo is doing while 43% of Republicans thought that way in January. There has been little change among Democrats and non-enrolled voters. 56% of Democrats and 41% of non-enrolled voters give Cuomo a thumbs-up while 55% and 42%, respectively, did the same earlier this year.

Governor Cuomo is also well-liked by most of the electorate. 72% of voters view him favorably while only 16% have a negative impression of him. 12% are unsure.

Earlier this year, Cuomo’s favorability rating stood at 71%. 17% had a lesser impression of the governor, and 12% were unsure.

Nearly Six in Ten Voters Approve of Cuomo’s Approach Toward the State Legislature

When it comes to how Governor Andrew Cuomo deals with the New York State Legislature, 58% of voters approve of his actions. 23%, however, disapprove, and 19% are unsure.

Democrats statewide — 68% — have a more positive reaction to Cuomo’s approach than do Republicans in the state. However, even a majority of Republicans — 56% — approve of how the governor interacts with the Legislature. Among non-enrolled voters, nearly half — 47% — approve of how the governor deals with the New York State Legislature.

Regionally, more voters in the suburbs of New York City — 68% — approve of Mr. Cuomo’s tactics compared with those in New York City and upstate. However, majorities in New York City — 57% — and upstate — 53% — maintain this view.

While Governor Cuomo receives kudos from voters, the New York State Senate and Assembly are falling short.

Looking at the State Senate, just 17% of voters approve of the job it is doing. Included here are just 1% who believe it is doing an excellent job and 16% who say it is doing a good one. 43% perceive the legislative body’s performance as fair while 36% call it poor. Only 3% are unsure.

The State Senate continues to struggle in the eyes of voters. In January’s survey, 18% applauded its performance, 34% rated it as fair, and 43% thought the State Senate was performing poorly. Five percent were unsure.

It’s a similar story for the State Assembly. 17% give this legislative body above average marks. This includes 1% who believe it is doing an excellent job and 16% who say it is doing a good one. 42% report it is fair in its performance while 36% think it is doing a poor job. Five percent are unsure.

In January, 17% gave the State Assembly high marks. 35% said it performed fairly well while 43% thought it fell short. Only 5% were unsure.

Major Change Needed in Albany … State Moving in the Wrong Direction, Say Voters

With the low approval ratings of both the State Senate and Assembly, it’s not surprising that voters think major changes are needed in the way things are done in state government in Albany. Almost seven in ten voters — 69% — hold this view while 22% say minor changes are required. Eight percent say state government is broken and beyond repair while only 1% believe no adjustments are needed.

Little has changed since January when 73% thought major changes were needed, 16% reported minor changes were needed, 10% said things were beyond repair, and 1% felt no changes were needed.

Voters also remain pessimistic about the direction of the state. 54% say the Empire State is moving in the wrong direction while 41% report it is traveling in the right direction. Six percent are unsure. A few months ago, 52% said New York needed a new path while 42% believed the state was on the right track. Six percent, at the time, were unsure.

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand’s job approval rating has declined. Currently, 41% of registered voters statewide believe Gillibrand is doing an excellent or good job in the U.S. Senate. This includes 9% who report she is doing an excellent job and 32% who think she is doing a good one. 31% give Gillibrand fair marks while 11% rate her job performance as poor. 17% are unsure.

New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand

Gillibrand’s approval rating has suffered an eight percentage point loss. In January, Gillibrand’s approval rating stood at 49% which marked her highest job approval rating since taking office. 29%, at that time, said she was doing a fair job while one in ten — 10% — believed she fell short. 12% were unsure.

The change has occurred mostly among members of Gillibrand’s own party. Half of Democratic voters — 50% — now give Gillibrand high grades while 61% did so in January. Among Republicans, 37% approve of Gillibrand’s job performance compared with 39% who did so earlier this year. 35% of non-enrolled voters give Gillibrand kudos while 40% shared this sentiment in January.

Senator Chuck Schumer’s job approval rating is solid. 56% of voters think he is doing either an excellent or good job in the United States Senate. Among them are 17% who say he is doing an excellent job and 39% who believe he is doing a good one. 26% rate his performance as fair while 14% call it poor. Four percent are unsure.

In NY1/YNN-Marist’s previous survey, 59% gave Schumer above average marks, 28% rated him as fair, and 9% said his performance was subpar. Five percent, at the time, were unsure.